The Six Senses
from sense to non-sense

Summer Camp August 2004

Daily plan for summer camp

Puja always include lighting the candles, and incense and some chanting and chi kung in the morning - we also sing songs - these have not been included below.

Welcome puja

what is a koan?

The six creature game

Theme today is non-sense this is a bit confusing – the way I mean non-sense it is about finding out what is behind the senses. The word non - meaning which is not there. Non-senses can also mean it does not make sense.

The six sense rap

A koan is a bit of non-sense
A monk asked ummon ”what is Buddha?” Ummon answered him “dried dung”

Day 1 PM PUJA - more on nonsenes

Contact middle of stomach- imagine you have ears in your stomach
listen to the feelings in there or mood 
give in a number between 1 an 10 – 10 is bad and one is good.

Guided mediation? Attention to the breath and the inner space – in which thoughts, feelings, sense impressions arise – go back to the space which embraces all

read some of the fox in the socks

Non-sense Game

Lets get into two circles. In your circle start with one person in the middle and then start by choosing somebody in the circle and label them mind, the next person taste, touch, smell, hearing, seeing.

So the person in the middle calls out name- who ever has that name – they must change places, whilst the person in the middle finds a spare place. So they person that does not find a seat, calls out a name. If the person in the middle calls non-sense then everybody has to change.

Everything starts from non-sense – from awareness.

Awareness means noticing the way things are – its about including everything. This is why I started this evening puja with noticing about the way we are feeling- because our feelings influence us so much.

When we have the understanding about non-sense – we can reflect - understand and integrate our other senses

Reflect means like looking into a still pond – you see your reflection yet the pond is still – it reflects everything back to you but its does not change its nature.

Your essential nature is still and calm – and yet we believe thru our senses that we are something else.

Click here for hand experiment

Now close you eyes. Has anything changed in terms of your non-sense

Meditation in life is simply remembering about this space- We think an enlightened experience must be some big flash, lots of bliss – it can also be little tastes here and there- its very simply just waking up to the present moment. Its just like switching on a light.

from spiritual wisdom from the celtic world

john o donohuea

blessing for the senses
may your body be blessed
may you realise that your body is a faithful and beautiful friend of your soul
and may you be peaceful and joyful and recognise that your senses are sacred thresholds
may you realise the holiness is mindful gazing, feeling, hearing and touching
may your senses gather you and bring you home
may your senses always enable you to celebrate the universes and the mystery and possibilities in your presence here
may Eros of the earth bless you.

Day 2 AM PUJA - koans and questions to reflect on subject and object

Theme is subject/object - we go down into the forest.

1^st –precept is about not harming

so we can be careful around the forest to sit/stand on anything
Its also about looking after one another – if we shout to loud, trip somebody up....

For more on subject and object click here -

Activity
So please get into groups of three – hold hands – the person in the middle blindfolded and the other people guide that person to a tree. Maybe on the way asking the person to touch the ground or plant or leaves.
Special care for safety of that person!

The idea of this is notice how the sense work and how a object like a tree effects us. Then you can swap around so everybody has ago and make sure you remember about the 1^st precept – not harming. If you hear the bell please come back whether you have finished or not, eyes OPEN.

Lets have play hide and seek. – the subject is looking for a object
The seeker is looking for somebody that is hiding
If you are hiding your are the subject hiding from the seeker the object.

Then make two line hold on waist with person in front – we can just walk around the forest- just listening, smelling and hearing.

Day2 PM Puja - integrated  senses

Contact middle of stomach- imagine you have ears in your stomach
listen to the feelings in there
think of colour that best matches how your are feeling.

Standing meditation –who’s aware of you standing

See if you can investigate between the subject and object around what you feel.
Say you feel hot – you thought the colour red –
So object is you feeling and subject is your description/judgement of feeling – what is behind all that.

This evening we are going to look at the way senses are integrated together. Although we talk about separate senses they all seem to work together.

Activities

Game called People to People

Find a partner
Face each other – when I call out say toe to toe - this is the connection you have to make. 
When I say people to people then you have to change partner
knee to knee , hands to hands,Hand to head, Elbow to toe, Little finger to thumb, Left Big toe to small right toe.

Stand on one leg – yoga pose –

So first lets get into pairs of equal height- stand back to back
link  hands and then try and get up together – 

Explanation

See how we have to get all sense together- how we all work together- how the universe works.

Four ways we can look at the senses

Day 3 AM PUJA - koans and questions to reflect on Mind

Guided meditation (imagining the other senses)

This morning we are going to look at the mind sense. So as we said yesterday – we have a subject and object. 
It is our mind that creates how we are and how we function in the world and therefore the way we speak.

So the 4^th precept is about speaking in a kind and gentle manner and not lying
So here an example of putting the mind, subject/object and the 4^th precept together.

What I want you to do is visualise in your head the word Honey (as a word not the object LETTERS) - where does that rest … can you see the word outside your head. 
Can you see the subject – object (subject you thinking about the word honey) and object is the word honey.

Now do the same with the word Bad .. then see what arises from the mind.

Now lets try again with a sentence “ you are a very nice person”

Or again “with I hate you”

Activity

needed for this activity - Banana, a cup, blanket, chair, plate, piece of wood

So lets get into six groups
Then I will give you a object and you have to see what you can turn it into.
give each object (Banana, a cup, blanket, chair, plate, piece of wood) to a group, ask them to make as many different things with them. For example a Banana can be a phone or a half moon in the sky, a hat?

Then ask each group to share to the other groups - the other groups have to guess what they are.

Day 3 PM PUJA

Contact middle of stomach- imagine you have ears in your stomach
listen to the feelings in there or mood  
see if you can come up with one word which best 
describes how your are feeling
 whisper it to your neighbour

Guided meditation (mind/judgements )

So we are going to use our minds to make some origami- we made blinking eyes from this book - see picture here

Another aspect of the mind is it likes to make judgements

Here is a game to help

On the morning of the 4th day we have no puja and go for a long walk.

Day 4 PM PUJA - koans and questions to reflect on SOUND

Contact middle of stomach- imagine you have ears in your stomach
listen to the feelings in there
give your feeling a number between one (is good) and ten 
then get into groups regarding your number.

In your group come up with a tone for which represent your number.

Then lets tone together.

Now lets do seven om’s

So tonight’s precept is the 5^th precept about drugs and alcohol intoxication – this means keeping your mind alert and mindful.

Guided Fake meditation -click here

Did anybody get intoxicate from the walk – would anybody like to share about there walk today.

What sounds did you hear when you where walking?

Activity

So play some music – find the emotion that describe the scene

Chinese whispers – do this two/three groups.

We also sang some songs and mantras

Day 5 AM PUJA - koans and questions to reflect on touch

The sense today is touch and the precept is 3^rd precept is sexual misconduct- which means be honest in relationship- being kinds to your friends.

Guided meditation of smiling into body parts

As  a reminder you that there is also internal touch as well. During the day see if you notice can notice this.

Activities

Walking at one another to touch hands and see if you can notice when you can feel somebody’s hands.

With your partner – one person can stand still and the other can walk towards your- see if you can sense when you partner is getting nearer-

Swap around

Where does touch start?

So here is a very touchy game – please respect the person you are doing this with.
Get into groups of three
One person is blindfolded – one person assumes a pose and holds it – the blindfold person must position the third person in the same pose using only touch.

Day 5 PM PUJA 

Brahmavihara mantra and movement

Emotional check in – Touch your face –what you feel like – share it with your neighbour.

So lets go out to the stupa (or outside on grass) – lie in groups – so first we touch the earth and lets see if we can touch the sky.

lying down meditation

Activity
So when I say a number this is number of points of your body you have to get on the ground.
1,3,5,2

Read the story- Don’t put your finger in the jelly nelly 

Song

If you’re happy and you know it,

Clap your hands

If you’re happy and you know it,

Clap your hands

If you’re happy and you know it,

And you really want to show it

If you’re happy and know it

Clap your hands

Shake your head

Touch your nose

Jump up and down

Stamp your feet.

So let finish by blessing each other – form two lines of two

And then each person goes down the line run your hands over them – if you want you can keep your eyes closed and remember the precept today is about being kind to your friends.

on guard game

Day 6 AM PUJA - koans and questions to reflect on taste

(need a sugar cube for this session)

The theme is taste and the precept for today is the 2^nd precept about not stealing- which means to be honest to another and share things.

Guided meditation on a sugar cube

Some points to notice
Notice how it starts of subject/object and notice the magic of how it disappears.
Notice the craving or aversion
Notice whether you are thinking about breakfast or thinking about having another piece of sugar

Activity

So lets get into two groups - everybody stays in middle on the hall 

poster with the words  - Past, future or now- 
so left side of area is past, right side is future and present is in the center

So when I say a food see where does your mind goes to does it remember about that food (the past) or does it go to the future (that it wants that food) or are just present in the now.

So if your mind moves to past then go to left side of area and future rightside

Food: chocolate cake, cadbury’s cream egg, tomatoe sauce, coke a cola, pizza, macdonalds burger, chips, brown bread, toast, apple.

uh-ah game

Make posters – with pleasant/unpleasant  tastes (strawberry, mud, dog poo…) and position themselves around area - with somebody holding poster.

get into groups of five people and hold one another like a snake - do walking meditation and react at each station with uh-ah - uh for liking (pleasant) and ah (for unpleasant). 

Day 6 PM Puja- the sense seeing

The sense this evening is Seeing

Contact middle of stomach- imagine you have ears in your stomach
listen to the feelings in there
 describe you emotion in terms of a shape/drawing. 
Draw the shape and bring it up to the front

some fun activities

Dodgem game- directing partner around – one person stays still.

Get into 5 groups Pass the face. If you stick your tongue the face goes in the opposite direction

we read the story meeting the tiger in silence from this book

Experiments form the master of seeing

Day 7 AM PUJA

The sense this morning we are going to look at is smell.

Guided meditation of the smell

We read the Poem the little burp

Activity

Come up with a sculpture for a smell – think up a smell and then make a human sculpture –5 groups

1 sculpture – 3 act as clay.

Is it smell you like or dislike?

What emotion would you give to that smell

Day 7PM - celebration puja -closing puja

sharing of experiences - thanks 

Story- who am I – my name is ish from this book
six sense rap

Day 8AM- Sangha blessings ceremony, cleaning up and going home!

we also read some poems from the book Embarrassing Grown-ups in Public